Faking It
by Miri-san
Summary: After the defeat of Mount Weather Clarke wanders for months in the woods until she is force once again to come back and fight another war against the grounders. What Clarke doesn't know is that this time the decision about peace is in the hands of the Grounder's council, and that the only way to obtain peace is a union, but a union with serious engagement consequences.
1. Chapter 1

**Well, this is my second fic. This will be a little longer, with more chapters, I don't know how many they will be, but I will try to update at least once a week!**

**I hope you enjoy this little story that I came up to.**

**I'm from Spain and I do my best to write in English but I must to improve yet! So sorry if there are some grammar mistakes, but I want to thanks to blondegirl353, who checked my grammar and spelling! Thank you so much, really! You will be my "editor" and I'm glad!**

**Well, no more chit-chat, let's go to my new story! Please, review if you like the story, that helps me and motivates me! So please, review and give opinions!**

The sun was shining like a big ball of fire, burning Clarke's skin. She had been wandering in the woods for a long time, she didn't know for how long, she lost count after a couple of months. She was sore, tired, hungry, and still shattered. Every night the nightmare came to her, full of those who she had murdered at Mount Weather, all the children, all the innocent people, Maya… all murdered by her hand. Then, she saw two green eyes, looking at her, full of regret but also with determination. _I'm sorry Clar_ke, _the deal is done_, the words echoed in her mind over and over again. She woke up every night sweating, breathing hard, her mouth dry. After all this time, she hadn't fount peace yet.

That day was hotter than usual, summer was coming. She was trying to hunt some animal for lunch. She had managed well enough to keep herself alive so far, but still, she was weak and underfed. After few weeks she improved her hunting skills and she had made a spear with her knife which was very helpful. She saw a deer near to the river, drinking the quiet and plane water. She quietly approached the deer, hiding between the trees. When she was about to throw her spear she heard voices back in the path. She quietly hid behind another tree closer to the path, expecting. Then she saw a group of grounder warriors marching. They seemed to be ready for a war. She tried to hear what they were saying, but they were talking in _trigelaslang_. She tried harder to listening at what they were saying, she knew some words so maybe she would be able to pick up something. After a few moments, she clearly could understand some of the word: _skaikru, stegeda, gonpei, honon, heda, jus_ (sky people, village, fight, prisoner, commander, blood). Suddenly her heart started to race. Was Lexa attacking Camp Jaha? Was she even capable of something so ruthless after what she had done? Clarke's anger towards Lexa started to burn inside her once again. She immediately needed to find out what was going on, if her friends were in danger again she had to do something. But then, all the images of Mount Weather came to her and she froze and began to hyperventilate. She tried to calm herself down, trying to breathe slower, to adjust her breath again. She was just about to retreat when she remembered her own words: I'll bear it so they don't have to. She already had done everything for them, she had given her soul, so she couldn't leave them now if they were in danger. So, with the strength that she had left, she silently followed the warriors.

Yeah, she was right, they were heading to Camp Jaha, no doubt. When she was getting near the camp, she saw another group of grounders in front of the big metallic gates of the camp. The group of grounder that she was following suddenly disappeared through the woods, up in the trees. Clarke was disoriented and confused, why the grounders were hiding from the others grounders? Then, she heard a really loud "boom", the ground around her shattered, something hit her head and her vision became black.

She woke up agitated, scared. When she focused her vision she recognized the grey and grim walls that were around her. She was in the ark, at the medical bay.

"Clarke" she heard a voice that she knew too well. "Thank god you're alright, I was so worried" Abby said with tears in her eyes and cheeks. She gave Clarke a gentle hug.

"Mom…" she looked around, still a little confused. "How did I get here?" Then she remembered, the grounders, the explosion and the danger. "Mom, the grounders, they are attacking you. Is everybody ok?" she tried to get up, but her head spun and hurt. Her mother put her hand on Clarke's shoulder, stopping her.

"Clarke, honey, you need to rest. You are dehydrated, weak and you have a wound in your head."

Clarke saw then that she had an IV in her arm. "But I can't rest, if there is a war against the tree clan I need to…" she tried to get up again, but she almost throw up.

"Rest Clarke, please. Don't worry about the war, we have help. I will explain it to you later" Abby said while she was injecting something in Clarke's IV. Very quickly Clarke's eyes sunk and she was knock out again.

When she woke up, again, she saw Bellamy next to her, sitting in a chair, with a smile on his face. "Welcome back, sleeping beauty princess" he mock.

"Hi" Clarke said with a light smile in return. "For how long was I out?" She asked.

"Almost two days. You scared all us to death Clarke when we saw you outside unconscious behind the grounder after we throw the grenade." He put his hand on hers. "I'm glad you are ok. Everybody is. They all wanted to come and see you, but your mother said that you needed to rest."

"Everyone?" she sighed. "Even Jasper?" she looked at Bellamy with pain eyes.

"Well, he… it's difficult for him, you know, but, yeah, at least he seems relive that you are ok" he answered honestly.

"What is happening Bellamy? Why are the grounders attacking you? Why is Lexa…?" She was cut up when her mother entered the room.

"Clarke, honey, you're awake" she said with relive in her eyes and voice.

"Hi mom, yeah, I feel better"

"God, because you have to eat, you need to gain strength again" she looked at Bellamy. "Can you help me to get her up?"

He nod and get up from the chair. Then he placed his hand in Clarke's back while her mother was doing the same from the other side of the bed, helping Clarke to get up. She put her feet on the ground, weakly, but she fought to stand. When she saw that her head didn't spin and her legs could hold she released herself from Bellamy's and her mother's hold.

"I can do it" she said stubbornly.

Then she started to walk from the room. She was wearing clean clothes from the ark. Without Clarke realization, Bellamy put himself behind her, blocking the view behind them. He gave a look to Abby and she directed Clarke straight, putting her hand in Clarke's back to guide her. They walked for several minutes through the dim tunnels of the ark, very familiars to Clarke. _All inside the ark was always so dark and sad?_ She thought. Finally they arrived outside, where the tables were set and she could breathe fresh air. _Much better_. She had got used to be in the open.

When they arrived where the others were, all her friends were waiting for her. They all greeted her with smiles, some larger than other though. Even Lincoln seemed sincere and happy when he looked at Clarke. Everything that was happening, was happening so fast for Clarke to process it. She didn't know how to feel, she didn't know how to act. She was blank, and acting automatically. She started to eat while her mother reminded her that she had to eat slowly and with small bits until her stomach could get used to food again. She did it automatically too. When they were finish, she came to herself a little, and decided that she wanted to get back to her room at the medical bay, so she said she was feeling weak and wanted to rest. She wasn't ready yet to face them all, but she knew that she would have to get over it if she wanted to help in this war. She needed to focus in her anger towards the commander, it was all her fault.

Bellamy, her mother and the rest of them helped her and accompanied her to her room. Once again Bellamy was blocking the view from the end of the hallway. _That's odd_, she though and stopped herself.

"Why are you coming with me, I'm weak, but I can walk" she said looking at them frowning.

"But…" Raven tried to say.

"Please guys, don't get me wrong, but I need a little space" she said passing through Raven and Monty. Then she saw two big grounders through the windows that was at the end of the hall. "What's that?" she asked in shock. Then she started to walk towards the room.

"Clarke, wait" Bellamy tried to reach her, but she was already in front of the door.

When she looked inside she saw the two grounders pacing around a cubicle in which was a body, with an IV and the body was motionless. Then she saw her, laying there.

"Lexa" she whispered." She spun around to face the others. "What's happening? What's that mean?" she said agitated.

"She was seriously injured during a battle" Her mother approached her and put a hand on her shoulder to calm her down. The others only lowed their heads and started to walk away and disappeared. "I couldn't let her die so I took care of her and now she is recovering" she confessed seriously.

"Why?" the question was almost a whisper.

"It was the human thing to do Clarke, and we need her alive" her mother answered honestly.

"Again, why?" this time she rose her voice. She tried to relax for a moment and think. "Oh, you captured her! She is a prisoner." Clarke's mind was trying to put the pieces together.

Abby stared at her with a serious look. Clarke could see the pity in her eyes, but why? Every minute that was passing by she was more and more confused.

"Come into your room, I'll explain you what's happening" her mother said softly as she guided a puzzled Clarke into her room again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi everyone! The second chapter! Yay! This chapter will be a little longer that the first one because I felt the need to answer a few question that I left in the air, don't you think? :P You have to understand that the story is basically from Clarke's point of view, so, if she didn't know what was going on, neither did you, sorry!**

**I would like to thank to all of you that followed and favorated the fic! And of course to all of you that left a review! Thank you very much, it makes me so happy! :) :) Last but not less, I want to thank to my editor blondegirl353, who is helping me by correcting my grammar mistakes, like a good spaniar by English is baaaad :P so, if there is still some grammar mistakes or if you don't understand something, you're free to ask me!**

**So, here we go, please, review, comment and feel free to give advise and stuff like that! :) Thanks again to all of you!**

Clarke was sitting on her bed, watching Abby pacing around the bed. Her patience was close to exploding.

"Mom, please, stop pacing around and just tell me what is happening?" Clarke asked almost desperately. "Are you going to tell me why are the grounders attacking? And why did you save Lex… the commander" She corrected herself "if she is doing all this?"

"…" Abby sighed trying to put the words in her mouth. "Honey… while you were gone, a lot of things happened. To summarize it to you… the grounders that are attacking us are not the Tree Clan… it is the Ice Nation" Her mother stared at her for a few seconds to let Clarke to process the information "and the Tree Clan is fighting against them" she sentenced.

Clarke's mind started to spin again. She was trying to understand what her mother was explaining. How was possible that the clans were fighting against each other? They were now united, so it didn't make any sense. And why were her people involved if the war was between them? After all, Clarke knew that the Tree Clan and the Ice Nation were enemies before the alliance of the 12 clans.

"The commander came to Camp Jaha a couple of days after Mount Weather" Abby noticed the pain in Clarke's eyes when she mentioned that. "She warned us that they were coming…" she put her hand on Clarke shoulder to comfort her.

"And you believe her… after what she did to me… to all of us…" Clarke said with anger in her voice.

"No, at first we didn't believe her, we thought that she was just trying to scare us in order to get rid of us and we almost kicked her ass out of here" she said honestly remembering the commander's cold face and calm that she showed when they treated her like that "But after a few weeks Ice Nation warriors came to our gates in order to attack us… we needed help…" Abby sighed again.

"So you went to TonDC with your tail between your legs…" Clarke's words were harsh when she looked at her mother with anger.

"Yes Clarke, we did… You need to understand… the Ice Nation's army is so huge…" the panic in Abby's voice was obvious.

"Ok…" said Clarke breathing deeply to calm herself down when she saw her mother's eyes. "But all this still doesn't explain why is she helping you and why is she still around"

"Well to be honest, it was a shock for all of us too that she was willing to help. We have a reunion with her… she only wanted to talk to you… you know…" Her mother said cautiously expecting Clarke's reaction.

Clarke breath hardened, her anger started to boil again. "How dare she?" she screamed. "How she even dare to…" but her mother interrupted her.

"The thing is honey" Abby put her hands on Clarke's cheeks to relax her "that when we explained to her that you weren't here and we didn't know where you were, she just nodded and before leaving she said that the alliance with us was still intact".

Clarke's eyes almost widened in disbelieve.

"I know honey, I know that is hard for you to believe it, but it's true. You have the proof just right in the other room." Abby pointed at Lexa's room.

Why? That was the only question that Clarke had in her mind. She had left her in front of Mount Weather to die, she had made the deal in order to save her people and sacrifice Clarke's friends. The deal that forced Clarke's hand to kill all those innocent people. That was something that Clarke would never forgive her for… the way she betrayed her… after all the things they sacrificed… after all the time they spent together… Anger, anger and more anger was what Clarke felt every time that she thought about it.

Abby observed in silence Clarke's expression… She wished that one day Clarke could get over the pain and anger that had been installed in her heart. She wasn't a little girl any more… she couldn't just put a band-aid to heal Clarke's wounds. That saddened her so deeply.

"Well. Now, you know… I will let you rest." Abby said while she approached to Clarke. "Please Clarke, rest and… just rest." She wanted to say so much more.

"Wait" Clarke stopped her when she was about to left the room. "You said that we need the commander alive… and if what you just told me is true, you're right" she was coming to her sense again. "How seriously is she injured?" just for one second Abby was capable of see concern in her daughter's eyes.

"When we found her she had a very nasty cut in the right side of her torso and she had lost a lot of blood, she almost died twice on the operation table." Abby said.

Clarke gasped almost imperceptibly. For one second that thought made that fear invaded Clarke's body and mine. But she quickly pushed it away and composed herself.

"But she survived Clarke" her mother reassured her. "She is very strong and she is recovering very well. Just like you, all she has to do now is rest." Abby gave her a slight smile and left the room.

Clarke was released from the medical bay a few days ago and she got her old room at the ark back.

She spent all the time that she could outside, she didn't like to spent time inside the grim of the ark's wall. Although most of her days she was stuck in the operation room, discussing war tactics with Markus, Bellamy and a few others. She avoided Lexa's rooms, of course. When she was outside though, she was just alone, trying to avoid everyone, even her friends. She spent a few moments with them every day to get used to be around them again, but it was hard, very hard. She wasn't ready to totally face them yet.

That day she was observing how the grownups were doing their chores and how the children were playing and laughing. The last few days had been quiet, there hadn't been more attacks. She was laying on the grass with her eyes closed, trying to relax, to think, to find inner peace. She was letting the sun warm her skin, feeling better. The sun, the sound from the children's laughs and the singing coming from the birds was calming. _Step by step_, she thought. She was aware that somebody was in front of her when she felt a shadow blocking the sun.

"Hi honey" Abby smiled at her.

"Hi mom" she greed her back with a slight smile.

"Clarke… I'm so sorry to interrupt your moment" the expression from Abby's face changed when she said that "but… the commander has been released and she is in all full commander mode, you know…" her mother sighed. "She want a meeting with you, she knows you're back, and she _only_ wants to talk to you". Abby looked at her this concern in her eyes.

Shit, she was feeling quite fine today… that was fantastic. She knew that sooner or later she would be forced to see Lexa again, but she wasn't ready… she wasn't even ready to face her friends, how could she be ready to face the commander? She sighed and breathed deeply before replying her mother. _Control your anger,_ the told herself.

"Ok, I knew that this day would come" she sighed again. "Does it have to be right now?" she asked then.

"Yes, she has been insisting on it since she found out that you're here". Abby stated.

Clarke clenched her fists before getting up. She closed her eyes for one second and then stood up. The walk from the outside camp to the operation room feel like an eternity to her. Her mind was running with thoughts, but none of them were clear. When they reached the room, her mother opened the door to let her get in. She gently squeezed Clarke's shoulder to reassure her before she went away.

Lexa was standing in the other end of the room. She looked breathtaking, as always. She was wearing her war armor, her war pain, and her stoic look. Nobody had ever said that she had almost died a week ago. When she heard Clarke entering the room she starred at her, analyzing her. Clarke could watch in her eyes that she was trying to reassure that Clarke was really alive, really there. Her gaze changed immediately to her usual emotionless though.

Clarke mouth felt dry, her hands were shaking slightly. Why was she so nervous? She tried to focus, to clear her head. She was there now, she had to be the leader that her people deserved. She locked her gaze with Lexa's and her anger started to pop up again. She was standing in front of the person that had betrayed her, that had broken her… her… trust.

"You sent for me?" Clarke's voice was cold. Lexa just nodded. "What do you want commander?"

"We need to talk about the war Clarke" Lexa answered looking at her like if that was the more logical answer in the world. Of course, what was Clarke expecting? An apology? She could feel the anger running through her veins.

"You could talk about the war with anyone" she said with a husky voice. "And why are you helping us against the Ice Nation? You had a coalition…"

"Yes, but I wanted to talk about it just with _you_" her eyes intensified with that words. "And I just couldn't let the Ice Nation once again do what they please" a shadow of pain crossed Lexa's eyes. Clarke noticed it.

Clarke realized then Lexa's agenda. She wanted revenge, of course. _Jus drein jus daun_. Costia's death. Clarke was about to blow up of rage. She was using her people again for her own benefit. That was enough.

"What do you think? Eh? That you can come here, after what you did and just drag us in another war because you want vengeance? Haven't you done enough damage?" she yelled at Lexa.

Lexa remained speechless for a few moments, looking at her hard. "I'm not dragging you into another war Clarke" her voice was harsh but steady. "I'm here because I wanted to help"

"Bullshit!" the blonde screamed. "I know you want revenge, jus drein jus daun, isn't it? This is your opportunity to revenge Costia and you are using us like you used us against Mount Weather!" Clarke's face was red.

"I'm not lying" Lexa rose her voice clenching her fist. "They are attacking at you Clarke, not at the Tree Clan, can't you see that? Their army is so huge because other clans joined them" she gave a few steps toward Clarke. She stopped, and breathed slowly, trying to calm herself down. "You may not trust me, I understand that".

"No kidding" She said quickly. Lexa's eyes showed pain just for one second.

"I know your angry with me Clarke, but do not let your emotions cloud your mind, not this time" Lexa continued "Now that you defeated Mount Weather, the coalition is starting to dissolve. Some clans are afraid of you and see you as a threat, so they want to erase you from earth…" she said very seriously.

Then Clarke tried to focus again, Lexa's words were sinking in her mind and she was realizing the consequences of those words. Clarke felt devastated. Why can they live in peace and harmony? Why was it so difficult for grounders to be at peace? Clarke looked saddened.

"Clarke…" Lexa tried to approach the other girl, to change the sadness in her eyes, but she stopped herself. "I know that all you always wanted is peace. Like I said, I'm here to help. I know a way to get finally peace."

Clarke looked at her wary. She didn't trust Lexa, she doubted she would be able to do it again.

"Why?" Clarke asked frowning.

"…" Lexa sighed and closed her eyes. When she opened them, her mask was off, her eyes showed tiredness and pain. "Because I'm tired of bloodshed… I want peace too. Like I said to you… I do care Clarke…" She locked her green eyes with the blonde's blue eyes. Clarke stopped breathing for one second.

"…" Clarke gulped, putting herself together again. "You said that you know a way."

Lexa nodded. "You must come to Polis and talk to our council" Lexa stated.

"You have a council?" Clarke asked in shock.

"Yes Clarke, we are not savage as you think" Lexa looked hurt.

_You should come with me to the Capitol. Polis will change the way you thing about us_. The words echoed in Clarke's mind, words that were hurting her now. She remembered her reply as well. But she changed her mind after Mount Weather. She was angry with Lexa, but if she was right… she had to try it. Her anger could stay there anyway.

"Ok, then. We leave to Polis tomorrow morning" she spun around and left Lexa in the room.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi everyone! Chapter 3! I hope you like it. Thanks again to all of you that are following the story. Thanks again to my "editor" without you I couldn't be doing this!**

**Well, back to the story... please comment, give ideas, write whatever you like to cheer me up and motivate me :) It helps me to write the next chapter faster :)**

Abby was pacing around the operation room while Marcus was sitting on a chair, looking at her with worry. Clarke had just told them what Lexa had explained to her, even the trip and the visit to Polis to meet the Grounder Council. Bellamy sat on another chair, looking lost in his thoughts. All of them were analyzing Clarke's words in their own way. For them, it was a difficult decision to make, but not for Clarke, she knew it might be the only option. She was tired of war, blood and suffering. She didn't trust Lexa anymore, but she wanted peace and safety for her people so bad that she was willing to go through it, and confront the Grounder Council.

"What if this is a trap?" Abby asked after a while when she stopped pacing.

"I don't think so mom, you saw it for yourself, Lexa almost died fighting. I think this time she is right…" she was cut off.

"Are you defending her?" Bellamy asked a little shocked when he returned from his thoughts.

Clarke sighed. "No, I'm not, but I think that it's a solution that doesn't involve blood and war, just a meeting with a Council." Clarke answered to Bellamy with determination.

"The Grounder Council Clarke" her mother reminded her finally looking at her.

"I know, but, what else can we do? Wait for the Ice Nation and its allies to come here and kill us all?" the blonde said raising her voice, standing up from her chair and hitting the table with her hands. "Their army is huge, you told me that mom. They would eat us up alive! So, any of you have a better idea?" Nobody said a word. "Well, the decision has been made. I'm going to Polis with Lexa". She stated.

The meeting continued for two more hours. They finally decided that Clarke would go to Polis, but not alone, Bellamy and Marcus would go too. They also decided that Octavia and Lincoln would go with them, as guards. Bellamy wasn't very pleased of the idea of her sister going, but he knew that she was a great and well trained warrior now, and she would want to go no doubt. After the meeting, they spent the afternoon doing all the necessary preparations for the journey, as well as Lexa and the two grounders that would go with them, one male and one female.

They journey to Polis was a one day trip, but they knew that a few grounders armies would be camping near the most known paths, so thanks to the commander's knowledge they took longer but safer paths.

The first night they set camp on a clearing that they found between the trees that usually surrounded them. They had enough tents for everybody. Octavia and Lincoln would share a tent while Marcus would share with Bellamy and Clarke would have a tent for her own. They sky people observed that the grounders just had one big tent, obviously the commander's tent. They wondered where the others two grounders would sleep. With the moon and the stars above them, they ate dinner in silence, and they quickly went to sleep after that. Everybody was entering their tents when the two grounders posted themselves at the entrance of the commander's tent. There was the answer, the grounders wouldn't be sleeping at all and they would be watching the commander's tent.

That night, Clarke was having a nightmare, always the same. What Clarke didn't know was that most of the nights she ended up screaming in her sleep. The nearest tent from Clarke's was Octavia's and Lincoln's. They both woke up because of the screams, agitated. Octavia then realized that the screams were coming from Clarke tents and she decided to go and see what was going on. She didn't see Lexa just leaving her tent and so when Lexa saw that Octavia was entering Clarke's tent, she stopped.

"Clarke, Clarke, wake up!" Octavia shook Clarke's shoulder.

Clarke woke up panting and sweating. A moment later she focused her view on Octavia. She was still breathing heavily. She suddenly hugged Octavia and tears started to go down from her eyes. Octavia hugged her back, rubbing her back.

"I'm sorry Octavia, I didn't meant to…" Clarke tried to apologize while she was releasing a little her hold on Octavia.

"Don't worry Clarke…" the young woman smiled at her. "Were you having a nightmare?" she asked still rubbing the blonde's back.

"Yeah… I…" she didn't know what to say to the brunette. The last time they had had a real conversation was inside the tunnels of Mount Weather, and she was very upset with her. "Octavia…" she looked at her with pain in her eyes "you don't have to do this… I know that I've not been your favorite person for a while now…" she lowered her eyes to look at her sheets.

Octavia was silent for a moment, staring at the blonde. She finally spoke. "You know… for a while… yeah, I was pissed off with you Clarke… I couldn't believe that you trusted Lexa and let TonDc be destroyed along with all the people who died there. But… I get it now… thanks to you and Bellamy all of us are alive… I get that you did what you have to do…" she pushed gently Clarke's jaw so she could look at her. "And as far as I can see, the decisions you made are still haunting you…"

"I see them every night Octavia…" Clarke whispered, tears in her eyes again. "I see all those kids… all those blistered bodies… Maya… I can't put away all those images no matter how hard I try…"

Octavia hugged her again. "You need to forgive yourself Clarke…" she whispered softly. She just stayed there hugging her friend and trying to comfort her. After a while, Clarke just felt asleep in Octavia's arms, and she gently laid Clarke on the bed again, letting her sleep. When she got out from the tent she saw the commander standing in the entrance of her tent. She gave Octavia a sign to approach her. Octavia obeyed.

"Is she alright?" asked the commander with an expressionless face.

"Yeah, she is sleeping again, I think she will be alright until morning" reassured the young warrior.

"Good, I don't want our enemies to hear noises and coming to us" the taller girl said before entering the tent.

Octavia stared the tent for a moment, wondering if that was her only reason for asking about Clarke's state.

The next morning the dismantled the camp in silence and continued the trip. The tension between the sky people and the grounders was obvious. Lexa and her warriors always at the front, and the rest of them just behind, following them. So it was a surprise for all of them when Bellamy rode where the female grounder was and started to talk to her. She stared at him for several moments and then she talked back to him. Lexa didn't seem very surprised for that though and she said nothing about it. Echo had told her about the brave sky boy that tried to help them back in Mount Weather. The both of them continued the trip riding side by side, chatting.

It was nightfall when they started to see a large and huge city full of firelights at distance. They could see a variety of buildings, with different colors and different shapes. It seemed to have no end. The more they approached it, the more the sky people were in awe. When they reached the doors of the city all of them were speechless. There were no guards or warriors, just people walking from one place to another, laughing, chatting and smiling. Parents with their children walked freely, merchants in their posts, most of them gathering their goods in order to go home after a long work day.

They entered the city still on their steeds, making an entrance. When people realized that her heda was back, they started to come closer and greeting the commander with bows and chanting "heda". Quickly, they had to stop riding, and they dismounted the steeds and in no time somebody took the horses in order to take care of them. More and more people started to gather around them, greeting their heda but also looking with strange looks at the new people who had arrived. Suddenly, a little girl with brown hair approached Clarke, with happiness and awe in her blue young clear eyes.

"Skai heda?" the little girl asked shyly.

"Sha" Clarke answered smiling, watching the adorable girl in front of her.

"Mochof" the girl said before giving Clarke a quick embrace. Then the girl said a few sentences in trigedaslang that the blonde didn't understand, giggled and ran away.

Clarke stood there for several moments, in trance, without knowing how to react, confused. All the sky people seemed confused too.

"She said thanks to you she got her brother and father back. She doesn't feel fear anymore because she knows that the mountain men are gone" she had gotten closer to Clarke when she spoke. Clarke almost jumped from her skin when the brunette approached her, she didn't hear her getting closer to her.

"But… why?" Clarke was still stunned.

"They know that you defeated them Clarke… everybody knows…" Lexa explained. "You don't know how many have their loved ones back or how many have lost their loved ones by the mountain men's hands" Lexa tried to speak emotionless. "And now, for the first time in 97 years, they feel safe…" she looked around, watching all the people, all her people. Clarke could see how Lexa's eyes shined for one second. "Kandia will guide to you where you will be staying. Tonight we rest, tomorrow we will meet the Council." And just with that she walked away, followed by her guards and by a lot of the citizens, adoring her.

A smiling and cute grounder suddenly appeared in front of them. She had black braided hair, gentle eyes and she was wearing a brown long cotton dress with a white belt. Clarke and the rest of them, except for Lincoln, were still stunned and open mouthed by everything around them. It took several moments for them to react and follow the girl.

**Sorry if there is not much Clexa action, but I have the feeling that things between Octavia and Clarke needed to be fixed, so I focused in them first. What do you think?**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi! I'm back! I know it's been a while, I'm so sorry, really! But now, thanks to my new editor I can continue with the story, I hope you like it. This chapter is a little larger because I felt so bad about no updating in so long! Thanks to all of you that suported me and offered me your help, you guys are awesome! And of course I want to thank to csweeney122 who corrected my bad grammar mistakes, I hope you are not traumatized LOL!**

**Well, here is chapter 4, I hope you enjoy it! Please, please please, review, comment and give ideas, I'm so happy when you do that!**

**Ah! and to those that spanish is their first language I'm translating the fic in spanish as well, you can check in my storys!**

They walked through the streets of the city for ten minutes, admiring everything they saw. The buildings, the houses, the paths. It was almost like the cities that they saw and read about on the Ark, but these ones were more rudimentary yet more beautiful, and more colorful. They stopped in front of a light brown house with two floors and Kandia opened the door for them. They entered the house still a little in awe, looking at the paintings on the wall, and the wooden furniture that was all around. A beautiful table was set in the middle of the living room, with matching chairs. Kandia showed them the first floor where the living room was, the kitchen and a quiet and peaceful garden. Then, she showed them the second floor and pointed to what would be their respective rooms. Clarke had the last room, it was the bigger one, with a king-size bed, walls painted with a soft green and in the end of the room a balcony. Clarke approached the balcony, opened the doors and looked outside. The view was stunning. The combination of the moon, the stars, the light from the fires, the houses and the gentle breeze was breathtaking.

"Is everything to your liking?" asked Kandia from the threshold of the room while Clarke was looking around still stunned.

Clarke spun around to look at Kandia who was smiling politely. "Yeah, everything is… " Clarke couldn't find the exact words for describing all the magnificence that she was seeing "perfect" she finally said.

"Good. Dinner will be ready in half an hour" explained the dark haired girl with a smile still on her face. "Now, I will go and inform the others." She made a slight bow before leaving.

Just like Kandia had said, when Clarke went downstairs half an hour later, maybe a little more, the wood table that she had seen before was full of food. All kinds of food. Meat, vegetables, bread, different drinks, fruits. It was incredible, too incredible to be true. She saw that the rest of them were already sitting in their chairs, waiting for her to start eating. She didn't see Kandia standing in the corner of the living room, in the shadows. Clarke greeted them and apologized for her delay. A few "don't worry" were said and then they began to eat as if they hadn't eaten in years. Everything was delicious.

"Well, Clarke, the meeting will be tomorrow, are you prepared for that?" asked Marcus between bites of his meat. He was sitting next to her.

Clarke remained silent for a moment and her hand stopped mid reach as she was to grab her cup. "Yeah, I think so… I guess… I don't know… it's kind of important…" She stopped again, looking for the right words to say "our peace, our safety, to have a home, all that depends on how things will go tomorrow. Lexa said that they will talk to me, and only me…" She sighed.

"Yeah, I know, I'm sorry that I'm not able to help you more" replied Kane with saddness in his eyes. "It's a huge responsibility and you shouldn't have to take that responsibility… we… me and your mother should…" he was interrupted.

"I know Marcus" Clarke sadly smiled at him. "But you know that after all we have been through, we are not kids anymore… not for a long time… it's ok, I did it before, and I will do it again." She drank from her cup. "All we want, all we wanted since the beginning is peace, a place on the ground to call home" she continued "I will make them see that. I will make them understand that we don't want to take what is theirs. To start a war or attack them. That we only want peace and to live peacefully. I will make them see…" she said the last words more for herself than to Kane.

After dinner, all of them were full and exhausted, so they went to their rooms to get some rest and a good nights sleep. Clarke entered her designated room, grabbed a chair that was in one of the corners of the room and she immediately went to the balcony. She put the chair down and sat on it. She could see almost all of Polis, and it was incredible. She took a mental picture in case that she decided to draw again, or have time to draw again she thought sighing. While scanning the view, she realized that not far from there, there was a very big house, it looked almost like a mansion but in a grounder way, of course. It was more beautiful that the rest, more majestic. It had a very big wood door, three floors in which there was a balcony in two of them. Then she glimpsed some movement in one of the balconies. She focused her view and she almost stopped breathing when she realized who was there. She was relaxing her back against the wall behind her, looking at the sky. The moon made her olive skin and her green eyes shine. That was Lexa's house. Clarke starred at her for what felt like hours, studying her features, her bodys form. Suddenly, she realized what she was doing in shock. WTF was she doing? What the hell was she thinking? Well, to be honest, she wasn't thinking at all. That was the problem. She was so overwhelmed by everything that she just let herself carried away, just that, she told herself. With a sudden anger, she went back into her room, change her clothes for something more comfortable to sleep in and went to bed. She tried to sleep, but so many thoughts were running through her mind. She focused on the most important thing in that moment, her meeting with the Council and what she would said to them. That night she had very little sleep. She didn't even have enough time to have a nightmare.

The next morning, another grounder girl with red hair wearing a dress similar to Kandia's was waiting for them with the breakfast ready. They eat in silence, obviously nervous for what it was to come. Clarke ate just a little, her stomach was too nervous.

"You are gonna do it great princess" Octavia had approached her. She put her hand on Clarke's shoulder.

"Thanks O" said Clarke looking at her with a slight smile. "I'm just a little nervous, you know? But I can't let them see me like that, they must see me like a strong and secure leader" she commented seriously.

"And you are Clarke, believe me, you are" the young warrior reassured squeezing gently Clarke's shoulder.

"By the way, where is Kandia?" asked Clarke when she noticed the other grounder.

"Don't know" answered Octavia shrugging her shoulders when she lost her grip from Clarke's shoulder. "When we came down this morning there was only this other grounder. She only said that her name was Nerin, I guess they take shifts"

"Well anyway, you guys will be with me in the reunion, right?" asked Clarke.

"Yeah, Lincoln and I will be allowed to be there as your guards. Lincoln told me that they only allow two guards per leader, so Marcus and Bellamy will be staying here." Said Octavia with concern.

"Don't worry, it's only a meeting, I don't think there's going to be any fights or something like that" Lincoln added trying to calm them down.

"We hope not" whispered Clarke.

"Sky Heda?" the new grounder girl had approached them quietly. Clarke almost had a heart attack but tried to hide it.

"Yeah? Nerin, right?" Clarke said looking at her calmly but with her pulse still racing.

"Heda wants to talk to you before the meeting" said the girl after a bow.

"Well, tell your Heda that she can come here to talk to me or she can wait until I'm done with breakfast!" Clarke said a little angry for the mention of the commander.

"The thing is…" the girl hesitated "that she said in fact… immediately" the grounder girl's voice became shy.

Clarke huffed. Really? Who does she think she is sending for her whenever she wanted no matter the time or the circumstances?

"She said it's important" Nerin insisted shyly again.

"Ok, ok, I'll be right there" the blonde sighed.

"Two guards are waiting to accompany you" added the girl.

Clarke felt a déjà vu. Lexa summoning her, guards escorting her. She felt her irritation growing. The two guards guided her to the big house that she saw last night, it was only two houses away from where she was staying. First she was marveled with the structure of the house, but quickly she composed herself and returned to her irritation. When she entered the living room, there was Lexa, sitting on her throne, with her usual clothes, paint and look. Indra was in her right also with her I-want-to-kill-you look.

"Leave us" said Lexa while Clarke was approaching them.

"But Heda" Indra tried to protest but Lexa raised her hand to silence her. "She can be dangerous" Indra tried again.

"Shof op Indra" the commanded ordered with exasperation. "I said leave us" she repeated remarking every word. With a disgusting look on her face and looking hard at Clarke she left the room.

"What? Is she afraid that I'm gonna kill you?" Clarke asked sarcastically and annoyed. Lexa gave her a significant look. "Anyway, what do you want? You summoned me!" the sky girl said still with annoyance.

"The meeting will be in two hours" Lexa left the words sink in Clarke. "So, we need to be prepared. There will be twelve of us, every Clan has a representative. I'm going to tell you how to talk to them. They will question everything you say and will ask a lot. They will even try to you to-"

"What? There is no we Lexa!" Clarke was furious. Who did she think she was and trying to tell her what to do? She didn't trust her, she didn't want her help, despite the fact that deep down she knew she needed it. "I won't allow you to tell me what to do or what to say! I will do it my way. I can handle myself and I can convince them to make an alliance without your help! I don't trust you, I don't trust you at all, commander! You left me to die once, I can't rely on you, not now, not ever!" Clarke was almost screaming.

Lexa stared at her for several moments, trying to stay stoic, to not show any emotion, but her eyes betrayed her and showed hurt just one second.

"I understand that Clarke" she finally said "but you can't let your emotions against me cloud you" her voice was deep and steady. "This is very serious, and you know you need my help, I' just trying to warn you-".

"You know what? I'm done with you, you hear me? After this meeting I don't want to see you again, I want to know nothing from you." She was furious for Lexa's arrogance. "Now, like I said I can handle myself, so, goodbye commander!" Clarke spun around and left the room and the house.

Lexa stayed sit in her throne, punched the armrest with all her strength and fought for keep her tears from running down. Indra entered the room almost immediately after the bang that she had heard.

"Heda, you ok?" she asked worried. That forced Lexa to compose herself quicker.

"Yes Indra, Clarke already left, don't worry. Now" she stood up from her throne "I will rest before the meeting. You can go" she stood up and went towards the stairs.

"Heda, may I speak freely?" she asked clenching her jaw.

Lexa stopped and spun around to look at Indra. She saw the concern in the warrior's eyes. She didn't want to have this conversation with her right now, but she knew that her general was worried about her. "Speak" she said finally approaching again her throne and sitting on it.

"You have changed since Mont Weather Heda, and I'm not the only one that has noticed. Warriors talk, why do you think that other clans have joined the Ice Nation? They have started to think that you are weak… again…" Indra said with concern. Lexa just remained silent, looking at her seriously. "You need your ruthless again, you need to be yourself again Heda, for the good of our people, the sky girl makes you weak" the warrior sentenced.

"What if I'm tired?" she surprised Indra with her question. "What if I don't want to or I can't be that person again?" she suddenly felt so tired and exhausted from everything and everyone.

"You know what would happen" Indra left the words in the air for several moments. "They would rise up against you and you would die in order to obtain another commander" she said truly.

Lexa knew that Indra was right, that was that would happen if the other clans thought that she was unworthy of her title. Was she ready to release her spirit? No, she was not, not yet. A new fire began to burn inside her. She was tired of war and bloodshed, but if somebody wanted a war against her, she will fight back, and fight back hard.

"Let them try it, then, but they would lose" Indra saw the fire in the eyes of her commander, and she knew in that moment that maybe her commander wasn't the same than before, but she was still powerful.

Clarke was standing in front of a big white building, even the doors were white. The sun shined in the sky with power making the building shine almost to blinding. Octavia and Lincoln were right behind her and the two big grounder warriors that had escorted them were in front of her, all of them expecting for her to move. She knew that the members of the Council were already inside, waiting for her, so she took a very long breath and began to walk towards the door. The warriors guided them through a maze of corridors with nothing more than white on the walls, when they finally arrived in front of a big double wood door. They opened the doors and Clarke, Octavia and Lincoln entered the room. It was a very big round and also white room, with a big round wood table in the middle, where twelve people, including Lexa, were sat in their wood chairs, every one of them with two guards behind them, not to close, but close enough just in case. Just one chair was empty, her chair, Clarke guessed. Her palms began to sweat and her stomach clenched. _Don't let them see you nervous_, she told herself. She focused in the twelve people that were now staring at her silently. All were wearing war clothes and war paint on their faces. There were five males and seven females of different ages. Only two of them were young, Lexa, and other female. Suddenly Clarke widened her eyes in shock when she realized who the other young leader was.

"You?" Clarke whispered in shock.

"Welcome, Clarke of the Sky people" Kandia said when she stood up from her chair. "Please, sit down" she signaled the empty chair with her hand "so we can begin this meeting."


End file.
